LETTER: Trump refusals to guarantee peaceful transition

Supporting the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee while he refuses to commit to peacefully transferring power if he loses the election is no better than supporting a coup. Obtaining a majority in the Supreme Court is a principal goal of conservatives, but one more justice is not worth abandoning the foundations of American democracy.

The president’s continued refusal to commit to the transfer of power follows a year of sowing distrust in anything that he believes works against his electoral chances. Many principled Republicans have distanced themselves from these actions, but they simultaneously promise to allow Mr. Trump to choose who judges the legality of his actions.

King George III once said that if Washington gave up power after achieving independence, he would be the greatest man in the world. Washington did. Twice. And for more than 200 years, we have been blessed with a string of presidents who were — at least in this way — great. If senators allow the president to choose a justice without extracting an enforceable promise that he will leave office if defeated, they are betraying the traditions they claim to defend.